How Red Light Tickets and Speeding Camera Tickets Affect Insurance

Last Updated on December 12, 2025

Car insurance companies consider many factors when setting premiums — including your driving record and traffic violations.

But red light camera tickets and speeding camera tickets are a little different than officer-issued tickets. In many jurisdictions, camera tickets are treated as civil/administrative penalties (often tied to the registered owner) and don’t add license points — which means they usually don’t affect insurance.

That’s not always true, though. In some states and cities, camera citations are handled like regular moving violations (or end up on your driving record), and that can raise premiums.

So how do red light tickets and speeding cameras affect insurance? Here’s what to know.

Key Takeaways

• Camera tickets usually affect insurance only if they’re treated as moving violations and end up on your driving record (or add points in point-based states).
• Many red light and speed camera citations are civil/administrative penalties tied to the vehicle owner, so they often don’t change premiums.
• Officer-issued speeding tickets are much more likely to raise rates than camera citations in most places.
• If you’re unsure, ask the court/issuer whether the citation is reported to the DMV — that’s the clearest predictor of insurance impact.

How Red Light Tickets and Speeding Cameras Work

Red light cameras and speed cameras are forms of automated traffic enforcement. Instead of an officer pulling you over, a camera system monitors a location and records a potential violation.

Red light cameras typically trigger when a vehicle enters the intersection after the light turns red. Speed cameras measure speed (often with radar/LIDAR) and capture a photo or video of vehicles exceeding a set threshold.

Most camera citations are mailed to the address tied to the vehicle’s registration. Depending on the jurisdiction, an officer or authorized reviewer may confirm the violation before the citation is issued.

Do Red Light Camera Tickets Affect Insurance?

Sometimes — but only if the ticket is treated like a moving violation and ends up on your driving record (or adds points in states that use points).

Insurers price policies heavily based on your driving history. If a camera ticket results in a conviction that appears on your motor vehicle record (MVR), you’re more likely to see a premium increase — similar to running a red light in front of an officer.

If the camera ticket is handled as a civil/administrative penalty and does not appear on your driving record, then it usually won’t affect insurance premiums (even though you still have to pay the fine).

Do Speed Camera Tickets Affect Insurance?

Speed camera tickets work the same way from an insurance perspective: they’re most likely to affect your rates if they’re treated as a moving violation and reported to your driving record.

In many areas, speed camera tickets are designed as civil penalties that don’t add points, largely because the system can’t always prove who was driving. In other places, camera speed enforcement is handled much more like a traditional speeding ticket — and that’s when insurance increases are more likely.

Why Many Camera Tickets Don’t Raise Insurance Rates

Camera tickets often don’t impact premiums for a simple reason: insurers usually rate moving violations that appear on your driving record — and many camera tickets never show up there.

Automated enforcement citations are frequently categorized as civil/administrative violations (similar to a parking ticket). And like parking violations, these tickets typically aren’t used by insurers when setting rates. (For comparison, insurers generally don’t consider parking violations when calculating insurance premiums.)

That’s also why you’ll see mixed answers online: the impact depends less on the camera itself, and more on how your state and local courts classify the citation and whether it’s reported as a moving violation.

When Camera Tickets Can Raise Your Insurance

Camera tickets are more likely to affect your premium if any of the following is true:

• The ticket is treated as a moving violation (like an officer-issued red light or speeding ticket).
• The violation adds points (in states that use a point system) or otherwise appears on your MVR.
• You already have other recent violations, and the new citation pushes you into a “higher-risk” tier.
• The camera ticket is reissued to you as the identified driver (instead of staying as an owner-based civil penalty).

In these cases, the insurance impact can resemble a standard moving violation. The rate change varies by insurer, your state, and your overall record.

Most States Treat Camera Tickets Differently Than Officer-Issued Tickets

In many states, an officer-issued speeding ticket is a moving violation that can raise premiums. Camera tickets, on the other hand, are often handled as civil penalties that don’t add points.

This is why a traditional speeding ticket tends to matter more. If you were stopped by an officer for speeding, you should expect that a traditional speeding ticket will raise insurance rates in many cases — especially if it isn’t your first violation or it’s a serious speed-over-limit offense.

How to Tell If Your Camera Ticket Will Affect Insurance

If you want a quick way to predict whether your premium could change, focus on these two questions:

• Does the ticket add points or appear on my driving record? If yes, it’s more likely to affect insurance.
• Is it a civil/administrative penalty tied to the vehicle owner? If yes, it’s less likely to affect insurance.

If you’re unsure, you can contact the court listed on the citation and ask whether the violation is reported to your state’s DMV as a moving violation. You can also watch your policy renewal — many insurers re-check driving records at renewal or when you make certain policy changes.

FAQs on Red Light Tickets and Speed Cameras

Final Word on Red Light and Speeding Camera Tickets

Red light camera tickets and speed camera tickets often don’t raise insurance rates because many are treated as civil/administrative penalties that don’t show up on your driving record.

However, if your camera ticket is treated like a moving violation (or shows up on your MVR), it can affect premiums — similar to an officer-issued citation. If you’re worried about cost increases, keep your record clean going forward and compare quotes if your renewal jumps.